The end of August or the first week of September – otherwise known as when the housing department here at Rowan told me when the waitlist would open up to move out of my below-average housing assignment. 

The middle of September to the end of September – also known as when the housing department told me the waitlist would open up. Here we are, Oct. 4 as I write this, and still no waitlist. 

On my move-in day, I did not bring much. I was thinking to myself, “Well I shouldn’t bring a lot, I’m only going to be here for a couple of weeks and then I’ll move out and into a better spot.” Not my best idea. 

My housing assignment is not horrible, I actually really like the people they paired me with. It is just not where I want to be. It is not near any of my classes and it is dimly lit both inside and out. I struggle with insomnia, so sharing a room with a stranger causes me to feel anxious and adds to my inability to sleep. 

To be fair, I did apply for late housing. So being assigned to Edgewood Park Apartments is my own fault. However, as I walked around campus a few days before move-in day, I couldn’t help but notice how many townhouses or Rowan Boulevard apartments didn’t have enough names on the doors to occupy all of the rooms. 

Once I began noticing this, I decided to call the housing department to see if maybe they would change my room and put me elsewhere. Nope. In fact, it seemed as if they really did not care for my reasoning to want to change nor did it seem like they really wanted to talk to me at all.

In a small survey I conducted of ten students, I found that seven of the students surveyed felt like the department did not care or did not want to talk to them. In the same survey, the students voiced their issues with the housing department. Most said that they don’t communicate well and some said that they create more problems instead of solving them. Lastly, in the same survey, four students said that the housing department had ignored an email or phone call from them with another two saying they can’t remember whether they did or not. 

Communication is this department’s main issue. I would have rather them tell me that they weren’t sure when the waitlist would open up instead of telling me certain dates to be ready, and still nothing. 

I personally think that they do not care. I think that they want to put you in a housing assignment and then not hear from you until you move out in the spring– but that isn’t their job. Their job is to help students be comfortable in their housing assignments, with no shortcuts and no laziness. 

As my frustration continues to build, I sit here and wonder when, and if, the waitlist will ever open up. It feels like the department just telling me what I want to hear to get me off of the phone and stop bothering them. My trust in them is gone and my belief that they do the best they can is gone as well. 

Will the waitlist open up? I hope so. Even when it does, does it matter? My problem is only one out of many, apparently, and they don’t seem to even want to care about any of them. 

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